Ballot Mark Rumor Is False as Hilton Head Island Votes Early
Published October 23, 2026 at 6:51 am|By Bristol Ainsley, Staff Reporter
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Beaufort County’s top election official is pushing back on a social media claim that a poll worker’s mark on a ballot will get it thrown out, as early voting continues at a site on Hilton Head Island and three other locations around the county.
Jean Felix, director of the county Board of Voter Registration and Elections, said the posts are false and that county poll workers do not write on ballots. The posts began showing up in local feeds roughly a week before early voting opened, often framed as a tip passed along from a good friend, and prompted questions from voters.
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Felix also said an accidental scratch or stray mark on a ballot will not keep it from being scanned and counted.
Early voting for the general election runs Monday through Saturday through Oct. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Hilton Head Island, voters can cast ballots at the USCB campus at 1 Sand Shark Drive. Other county sites are the Bluffton Branch Library, the St. Helena Branch Library and the main elections office on John Galt Road in Beaufort. Voters need to bring a photo ID.
The county counted 4,333 voters on the first day of early voting, Felix said.
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Bristol is a staff reporter for HERE Hilton Head covering local news, community stories, and developments across Beaufort County. Bristol is committed to accurate, community-first journalism.
